Shoe construction



A ril 5, 1938. DRELL 2,113,507

SHOE CONSTRUCT ION Filed Nov. 26,- 1935 Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to improvements in footwear and in particular to a shoe construction embodying novel lace-stripping and method of lacing the same.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple lacing arrangement which not only affords a quick and effective tie, but also enhances the appearance and comfort of the shoe.

In shoes of the known type commonly in use today, the edges or flaps of the front opening in the vamp or upper are each usually provided with a series of holes through which the lacing is threaded back and forth a large number of times. This arrangement not only presents difficulty in lacing, but owing to the plurality of back and forth threading the lacing does not slide freely or uniformly throughout the length of the flaps, causing discomfort from pressure across the instep of the foot and binding in the zone of the topor upper holes.

It is the purpose of this invention to so apply lace stripping to the surface of the upper at each side of the front opening as to form relatively wide loops, in each of which at the center is provided a lace receiving perforation, and by threading the lacing through these loops and perforations in a special manner, relatively long bights are formed which enables the edges to be easily and uniformly drawn together the full length of the front flaps.

In carrying out the shoe construction, these lace-strippings are preferably given a distinct form and suitably ornamentally thread-stitched to thereby present a neat and ornamental design.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe construction embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the shoe;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a front elevation showing more clearly the method of lacing the shoe.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing and specifically describing the invention, I designates the shoe upper having the front opening 2 and the usual tongue 3. To the vamp at each side of the opening is attached a lace-stripping of kid or similar flexible material. This stripping is composed of the sections a and b at one side and the sections and d at the other, each of which is stitched along its longitudinal edges to the upper so as to extend from the spaced points 4 and 5 at the sole to overlapping relation at the respective flap edges of the upper front opening 2. At the edge of the opening each pair of these strips is connected together to form a long loop 6, one at each side and coextensive with its flaps.

In the center of each loop is provided a lace receiving perforation 6. With this construction in mind, I now thread the lacing I through the loop in a special manner. One end of the lace is passed upwardly through one loop to its center perforation 6, then pulled out therethrough and passed into the perforation 6 at the center of the opposite loop and up therethrough and out at the top. The other end of the lace is correspondingly threaded into the bottom of the second loop 6, out the center perforation 6' into the perforation of the opposite loop, thus crossing reversely in substantially parallel relation to the cross threading of the first mentioned end, then up through and out of the first mentioned loop.

When the ends of the string are now pulled to close the flaps, two bights to each loop draw the flaps easily and uniformly together for the full lengths whereupon the lace is tied into the usual bow.

The free ends of the stripping unit sections are disposed in diverging relation and extend to the sole at the spaced points 4 and 5, the loop portion connecting these sections providing an equalizing feature to permit an equalization of stresses between the loop and these points on the sole.

When the shoe is to be removed, untying of the knot enables the two loops or flaps to be pulled apart as the lace easily slips through the same.

It will be observed that each of the lace strippings is provided with a fancy stitching 8 in design form so that said strippings add greatly to the ornamental appearance of the shoe. Each pair of sections a-b and cd, is composed of a single strip of material folded back upon itself to form the wide loop at its center but I do not wish to be confined to the integral form herein set forth and illustrated.

I claim:

A shoe construction of the class described, comprising, in combination, an upper having front opening forming side flaps, a thin lacereceiving stripping attached to each of said flaps and folded back upon itself at substantially its mid point and forming a loop co-extensive with its flap, and. each loop having a center lace-receiving perforation, one-half of each stripping extending laterally of the shoe and being attached to the forward portion of the upper, and the other half crossing therebeneath and extending at an angle to and rearwardly of the firstmentioned half and in spaced relation to said first-mentioned half rearwardly of the loop and being attached to the rear portion of said upper leaving an uncovered portion of the upper between the two laterally extending portions of the 5 

